Reborn with a Space: Hoarding Food and Raising My Kid

The pale light of dawn in the east seemed dim in the post-apocalyptic world. Summer mornings in Morhaven felt as if they’d been battered by the elements, damp and a little chilly. Only when the sun rose fully over the sea did it finally drape the land in a layer of comforting warmth.

At the main gate of the villa district in the Morhaven Secure Base, two guards were dozing against a pillar. The sound of footsteps from within made them straighten up instantly.

The sight of Flora Bloom and her three companions wasn’t surprising. All the guards knew was that they had come to see the leader and were only just now leaving after spending the night at his home.

Flora Bloom and her companions quickly returned to their apartment in the low-rise building. In the living room, only Ethan Monroe was asleep on the sofa, his snores so loud that he didn’t even notice her come in.

She had originally planned to rest for a bit before gathering everyone to move, but she was exhausted after being up all night. Tired and hungry, she simply said a quick word to Neal Wallace and the others before returning to her room.

Her space held plenty of food that Ethan Monroe had made back on the yacht. Mindful of the previous spying incident, she ate a simple meal and then entered her space to sleep.

She expected to sleep until at least high noon, but when she woke up and emerged from her space, she realized only three hours had passed.

’Is it just my imagination?’ After a single night, and after reaching Level 3, the air inside her space seemed far fresher than before. A faint stream of energy seemed to flow from the space into her body, slowly dispelling her mental fatigue.

A mere three hours of sleep had left her feeling more refreshed than she usually did after eight or nine. It was as if an energy within the space was constantly seeping into her body, replenishing both her stamina and her spiritual power.

’Could this be a new function of the space, unlocked now that I’m Level 3?’

She rose and went to the bathroom, plugging the tub before turning on the water. After she filled the entire tub with deep blue water, she realized she hadn’t even used a thousandth of her superpower’s reserves. What was even more miraculous was that the tiny bit of energy she *had* consumed was instantly replenished by a surge from her space, as if she hadn’t used any at all. 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

’This is basically a cheat code!’ ’With my space constantly replenishing my superpower, does this mean I can use it endlessly in battle without ever running out?’

That would mean she’d never face the dangerous situation of superpower exhaustion in a fight. Running out of energy could put a superpower user in mortal danger at any moment, forcing them to use Crystal Cores to replenish their energy and restore their spiritual power. But now, with her space’s new ability, her superpower and spiritual power were virtually inexhaustible! This was as good as saving a fortune in Crystal Cores!

Just then, Cynthia Grant burst through the bathroom door. When she saw the tub full of deep blue water, her face lit up with pure, unadulterated relief.

"Thank goodness! Water, finally! I can’t stand it anymore! I need a bath!"

Cynthia Grant’s words reminded Flora Bloom that they had explicitly told Lucia to store up water for everyone before they left last night. From the looks of Cynthia, it seemed like that never happened.

"Where’s Lucia? Weren’t we clear that she was supposed to store water for everyone? Even if her level is low, she should have been able to make enough for drinking, right?"

"Don’t get me started on her! She’s using her pregnancy to act like she’s royalty! The second she’s hungry, she’s pestering Aunt Jade for food, and you practically have to beg her to create a little water. What a piece of work!"

Flora Bloom’s brow furrowed at this. She had agreed to let Lucia stay, but not so she could act like a queen and have everyone wait on her hand and foot! Asking her to store water for the team served two purposes. First, it would solve their water problem while she was away. Second, it was meant to give Lucia a dose of reality and take her down a peg.

’So the second I’m not around, she really starts to think she’s hot stuff, huh?’

"Where is she now?"

"Hmph. Last night your brother said a few words to her, and she ran back to her room in tears. She hasn’t even gotten up yet!"

"Flora, you’re awake?"

"Mom?" Flora turned to look at her mother.

"I still had some of that shellfish meat from last time in my bracelet, so I made you some seafood congee. Come and have a taste."

Flora Bloom’s face lit up as she nodded. "Okay, I’ll be right there after I brush my teeth and wash my face."

Watching her mother’s retreating figure, she felt the gloom cast by the apocalypse lift. To be able to live so freely in this world, with her mother and her friends by her side...

’This feeling is so different from my past life! Isn’t this the whole point of being reborn?’

She rested a hand on her lower abdomen. ’Once this little one is born, my life and my fate will be different, too.’ Since getting the space, the outcome of so many things had changed. As everything improved, she found herself wanting more.

Meanwhile, Cynthia Grant, completely unconcerned by Flora’s presence, deftly shed her stinky, sweat-drenched clothes and slid into the tub. Seeing Flora staring off into space with a hand on her belly, she assumed she was worried about the baby.

"Flora, not to nag, but you’re pregnant. You shouldn’t be running around so much, worrying and exhausting yourself. You’ll stress out the baby. Here, let me check your pulse again."

Flora held out her wrist. Seeing Cynthia’s brow furrow in concentration as she took her pulse, Flora felt a pang of anxiety, even though she was sure the baby was fine. "How is it?"

"Um, wow. The pulse is steady and strong. It’s surprisingly healthy."

Flora breathed a sigh of relief at her answer. "Maybe it’s because superpower users are in better shape. The baby’s health must be linked to the mother’s."

"Could be. I wouldn’t know about that. By the way, Flora, why is the water from your superpower deep blue? I mean, I can tell it’s way better quality than the stuff Lucia makes, but the color is so weird!"

Flora quickly brushed her teeth, then casually splashed some water on her face and dried it. The cosmetics she’d hoarded in her space didn’t seem to work nearly as well as the Space Spirit Water. Without using any products, her skin was already smooth, supple, and fair.

She glanced at Cynthia and casually tossed a bath bomb into the tub. The deep blue water seemed to absorb all the fizz and bubbles the bomb released, then slowly returned to its original, crystal-clear deep blue.

"Whoa, your water can even purify a bath bomb? That’s incredible! But honestly, the water you make gets you so clean you don’t even need soap. It’s way better than any bath bomb," Cynthia said, splashing some water on her face and scrubbing her arms.

"Hey, toss me a change of clothes! Don’t be stingy, I know you’ve got new ones in your space!"

Flora shot Cynthia a weary look and tossed out a set of summer clothes. "Just hurry up and get out when you’re done. We’re getting ready to move!"

Hearing the word ’move,’ Cynthia got so excited she immediately jumped out of the tub, haphazardly dried herself off, and threw on the clothes.

"Let’s go, let’s go! Which villa are we moving to? Will we each get our own room?" Flora and the others had been gone all night working to get a villa, so moving now had to mean they succeeded! How could she not be excited?

Flora went to the living room and had some of the congee. The shellfish meat in it, however, proved to be too much for her stomach. She desperately tried to keep it down, but she couldn’t fight the rising nausea.

BLECH!

She couldn’t hold it back any longer and rushed to the bathroom, throwing up every last bit of the congee she had just eaten.

Jade glanced at the barely touched bowl of congee, then looked toward the bathroom with a frown. She tasted it herself. ’It doesn’t taste fishy, does it?’ ’Why did she throw up again? It was the same on the ship.’